Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
